Prince Tutu - Act 1
by SquiddlesScribbles
Summary: When Mytho sees the object of his interests in peril, he rushes in and finds out he can turn into the legendary Prince Tutu! Will he able to uphold his duties, or will he fall to the Raven's curse?
1. Chapter 1

The water was still. Unblemished and unmoving, clear blue depths reaching deeper and deeper with little activity. That is, until a dainty blue pointe slipper touched its surface, disturbing the lake and rippling the top layer. Another joined it in a dance, slowly its melancholy nearly overcame that of the lake's. The girl's eyes were closed as she danced on the lake, her facial expression seeming aloof until her crystal blue eyes opened and let her secret audience see the clouds in them.

The white-haired boy watching her sighed quietly, watching as she went through the motions without feeling or knowledge of what she was missing. "Ahiru…" He sighed to himself, "I wonder what your smile looks like..." The boy lifted his hand to rest his head on but looked down to find it had turned into a pure white wing. His amber eyes widened in surprise, and suddenly he was thrust out of his dream.

Sitting up quickly, Mytho shook the dream from his head. Seeing the light stream through the sheer curtains made him jump out of bed in a panic. Surely with it being so light outside, he must have been very late! He quickly dressed in his workout clothes-a white t-shirt with blue leggings-and made his way to the ballet building. He all but ran to his classroom and opened the door, already muttering apologies when he saw it was devoid of other students, save for one lonely redheaded girl practicing in the middle of the room with her back turned to him. Her normally long, orange colored hair was pinned up in a bun with the flyaways tucked behind her ears. She had on a white leotard, with pale blue pointe shoes.

Mytho stopped halfway into the room as he stared at the previous subject of his dream, he heard no sounds but the soft melody which drifted from the record player and his own heartbeat drum in his ears. When the girl turned her head, Mytho got a glimpse of her curved nose, full lips, and dull blue eyes. He didn't really know what to do-should he leave her be or just practice with her? He was already there-who knows how early-and it'd be a waste just to go back to his dorm. The girl, Ahiru, hadn't noticed his presence yet. That or she was ignoring him.

With nothing else to do, Mytho set his bag down and took a place on the bar, stretching and practicing a couple positions. He made sure he was loose before he stopped to see how far into the dance Ahiru was. He recognized the song, it was from the _Snow Queen_ ballet. It was a piece they were learning in class and were probably going to perform for the other classes once Mister Cat chose parts for students.

Once he knew which part Ahiru was dancing, Mytho joined in. It seemed to him she was practicing for the part of Gerda and was dancing to The Town, though she was missing a partner to play Kai. For that, Mytho joined in. Ahiru's dancing was already technically perfect, and Mytho was sure if she tried out she'd get the part, but nevertheless, there were still parts which required a partner. In that, Mytho helped.

After finishing the song, Mytho turned to her as he wiped the sweat from his brow, and asked, "Are you going to try for the part of Gerda?"

Ahiru shrugged and flipped the record over, deciding to practice a song from a little later in the ballet. "I don't know," she said simply.

"What about the Snow Queen?" Mytho asked, figuring Ahiru might have wanted a more mature role.

"I don't know," Ahiru replied again.

Mytho nodded and opened his mouth to speak again when the first notes of the song pounded out, dramatic, emotional, and very much, unlike Ahiru. At that very moment, inside walked Rue, Ahiru's best friend and roommate.

"Ahiru, what are you doing talking to this boy?" Rue asked in a snotty voice, her nose turned up.

"I was dancing…" Ahiru replied.

"I was just helping her…" Mytho said, at the same time as Ahiru.

"There's no need to speak with such drivel, come on Ahiru there's no need to be in class so early." Rue grabbed Ahiru's wrist, walking her out.

"Uh, good luck at tryouts…!" Mytho called out to her, but Ahiru was too far away for his words to reach her.

Mytho sighed and turned the record player, Ahiru's expression still weighing on his mind. Mytho lifted the needle on the record player and took out the _Snow Queen_ record, replacing it with Sleeping Beauty. Even though it wasn't something they were working on in class anymore-it was their ballet from last semester-it was still one of his favorites.

As the music for Rose Adagio began drifting from the speakers and Mytho took position. Last semester when they had performed it, he had played one of the suitors, and he remembered Ahiru had played Aurora, with her boyfriend Fakir playing the Prince. Mytho remembered wishing he had gotten that part, and even trying out for it despite knowing that Fakir and Ahiru almost always get lead roles or at least important roles.

He practices for about half an hour, putting on different songs from the Sleeping Beauty ballet, and just as the final notes from the soundtrack died out, one of his very good friends walked in, with his other friend trailing behind. Their names were Femio and Pique, and both had very distinct and clashing personalities. Mytho was sure if he weren't there to split them up, a tragedy was sure to arise in the form of one of them murdering the other for some _great injustice_ , a phrase Femio liked to use a lot when Pique was being her usual brutish self.

If that wasn't an indicator that Femio was overly dramatic, then his description just might. Femio came from a family of great wealth but rejected his noble origins to come study at the Kinkan Arts Academy, where he studied ballet with the other two. While his hair was naturally dark brown, he usually dyed it a dark purple. He had a flair for the dramatic as well as a pet bull and a servant that followed him around with the explicit purpose of throwing rose petals around whenever his young master started in one of his monologues.

As for Pique, she was a tough and tomboyish girl whose hair was also usually dyed purple, though closer to magenta. She kept both Femio and Mytho in line and their heads out of the clouds. Mytho didn't know much of her past, and she didn't talk about it very much.

"Mytho darling!" Femio called. Both friends must have just come from the locker rooms, as they were already dressed and ready for class. "You're early! Pique and I were both so worried when we saw you weren't still asleep in your room. I swear, she started crying."

Pique punched Femio's arm, glaring at him. "I wasn't the one who cried, you were!"

Femio laughed, his eyes not meeting either of theirs. "Okay, so maybe I cried! But it was because-" the purple haired boy was gearing up for a monologue, his servant close behind with a bag of rose petals at the ready-when Mytho stopped him.

"Do you guys know much about Ahiru?"

They both looked at him, at first confused, then with knowing looks growing on their faces. "Mytho, are you telling me you're an Ahiru guy? I always pegged you for a Rue guy." Pique said, wrapping her arm around his shoulders to pull him down closer to her height. "I'm sorry to inform you that she's in a very lasting relationship with Fakir, I doubt they're gonna split soon. Maybe you should just go for Rue~" Her voice took on a sing-song tone, mimicking that of Femio's. She has definitely been spending too much time with that guy.

"What?" Mytho pulled back in surprise. "I don't have feelings for her, I'm just curious!"

"Well… While I personally don't believe that for a second," Femio started, with Pique nodding in agreement, "I can tell you that no one really knows all that much about her."

Pique piped in, "She's in the advanced class and while she dances really well, everyone always hears Mister Cat talking to her about how she needs to dance with more emotion. Namely, any emotion at all."

Mytho thought on this. He already knew she and her friend Rue were extremely popular, but he hadn't known they both had fan groups.

The red-haired girl stayed on his mind for a while, during class and after class.

After class, Ahiru found herself walking across one of the many bridges in the town. It was stone mostly, and curved. The distance from the calm water below was about a meter, or maybe more. Looking down, she noticed a duck sitting below the bridge and looking up at her.

The duck quacked at her, and Ahiru felt something swirling in her chest. As she reached into her bag for something to feed it, she heard the duck quack again. Pulling out the sandwich she was planning on eating for lunch, she tore off a piece of the crust to give to the duck.

Ahiru reached down, her free hand supporting her on the railing of the bridge, and leaned her body slightly over the side of the bridge.

As she did this, Mytho found himself walking towards the bridge. He stopped when he saw what she was doing, a small smile framing his face.

By now Ahiru's full body weight was being supported by her arm on the railing, half of her body hanging off the edge as she stretched her arm out to the hungry duck; her face was still showing that blank apathy. This made Mytho curious. The redhead was going out of her way to feed this animal, yet her face made it seem as though she really couldn't care less.

The railing for the bridge was wet with mid-morning dew, as well as from rain the night before. Ahiru was unaware of this, and when she leaned just an ounce too much of her body weight on the railing, she found herself falling over the edge.

Mytho cried out and dashed forward, but he knew it would be too late. That is until he felt a gentle warmth radiating from his chest, and a soft light envelops him in its embrace. Looking down, his clothes began to transform. His simple school uniform changed before his eyes into an outfit more befitting royalty. Suddenly, he had on tights, a princely jacket with the collar becoming feather-like and white with pink hems. His sleeves turned into full-length puff-sleeves ending with frills, banded with pink. His collar was adorned with a pink cravat, pinned down with a red and gold pendant that was reminiscent of a dragonfly. His shoes had changed into pink ballet slippers. Lastly, he felt the weight of a half-mask over his eyes. Had he had a chance to look in the mirror, he'd have seen it was white with gold accents, with a single white feather sticking up out of the side. It only covered his one eye, curving down over his cheek and up his forehead, looking very much like a swan was resting on his face

Mytho leaped across the canal, catching Ahiru halfway through her descent, and landed safely on the other side, Ahiru nestled snugly in his arms. Mytho blushed, and quickly set her back down to stand on the grass, though the heat from where his bare skin had touched hers still burned as if they were still in contact.

Ahiru looked up at him, something stirring in her irises, and she asked, "Who are you?"

"Well, I'm…" He hesitated, suddenly remembering the dream he had that morning. The white wing which had replaced his arm, his inability to dance with the princess… Then, he remembered. And when he remembered, he ran.

Ran far away before the noise could escape his lips. A single, startling, _honk_.

After all, he was only a _swan_.

* * *

 **AN:** As stated in the tags, updates for this will be infrequent. Sorry v-v Comments, concerns, and the like are all welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

_Once upon a time, there was a woman who died. The last story the woman was writing was about a brave and kind-hearted princess who vanquishes a crafty raven. When the woman died, the raven and the princess escaped from within the story. The princess took out her own heart to seal away the raven. But this power, which had been granted solely to her, was nevertheless forbidden..._

 _Thus sealed, the raven troubled them no more. But the princess's heart was shattered, and the shards scattered all over town._

 _Ever since then, stories and reality have intermingled in the town, making it a world where the fantastical was no longer fantastical…_

...

 _I'm just a swan… I'm just a swan… How can this be? Was I just dreaming about being a boy?_

As Mytho pondered the intricacies of the world around him, constantly looking down at his reflection in the water to confirm that he was, in fact, still a swan; he heard the approaching sound of a music box. The tune was upbeat, and would have brought a smile to his face, if he had the ability to smile in that form. "Deny your role and be granted bravery, follow your path and be granted victory." An airy voice above Mytho said. He looked up from the pond in surprise and saw a woman standing in front of him.

Her mint-green hair was styled up in an impossible hairdo, and her face was as pale as porcelain. Her features were gentle, and knowing, but something behind her eyes told Mytho there was more there than he could clearly see. Mytho asked, "Who are you?"

Her mouth opened to speak, "A story's birth is a sudden event to start a happy accident. The end, the fate for which it is meant. A story that never ends is a cruel one."

Mytho tilted his swan head in confusion, which prompted her to continue.

"You may call me Edel. I am here to inform you, little swan, of _your_ role." The woman continued, and at the cue of another of Mytho's confused head tilts, she continued. "I am Edel, and I'm here to give you this." She held out the pendant he had on before, but instead of being a dragonfly, now it was an egg-shaped gem. She gave him a second to see it before she secured the pendant to his chest, where the cravat would sit on his school uniform, and Mytho felt himself change. In a flash of glowing light, his wings changed into arms, his short swan-legs into human legs, and all feathers disappeared from his bare body. Curiously, around his neck already a pure white cravat was tied perfectly with the pendant clipped on. When he looked up again, Edel was holding his school uniform folded into a neat pile. "In times of necessity, you will be Prince Tutu. Do you still wonder about the Princess's smile?" Mytho nodded, and she continued. "You are the only one who can collect her heart and defeat the Raven, and then you will be victorious."

She handed it to him, waiting patiently for his reply. Mytho looked down at the pendant, which was still softly glowing, and looked back up at the woman. "Why is all of this happening?" he asked.

"During my life I wrote a story I was unable to finish. When left to rot, the characters escaped to continue the story without my guidance. The princess was meant to be sweet and fierce, but when she lost her heart to seal away the demonic raven, it took all of her emotions along with it," Edel said, her head tilting a little. "Why is your expression so sad?"

Mytho was frowning, looking down at the grass in front of him. "It sounds like a horrible thing to go through," was all he could manage. "She's from a story?"

Edel nodded slowly, still looking down at the boy with her analyzing eyes.

"...and I am the only one who can do this?"

Edel nodded again. "You are a boy now, but at your core you are still a swan. If you do or say anything resembling that which you are suppressing, you will turn back into a bird."

After leaving him with that message, she walked away. The faint sound of her music box fading slowly.

When he looked up to ask _'Why me?'_ he saw she was already gone, almost as if she never existed in the first place.

…

As Mytho was walking back to the school, he noticed, again, the focus of his never-ending thoughts-Ahiru. She was sitting on a hill with a book in her hands, reading with the same expression of disinterest.

He moved behind a tree, peeking out at the girl with a small sigh. _I'm just a bird…_ he couldn't help but think. He looked down at the pendant attached to his cravat and sighed. _I'm just a swan, but I still saved her earlier._ He paused, again looking up at the princess. _...Saved her as Prince Tutu, that is._

Seeing her, he remembered the last time they had met.

 _"Are you going to try for the part of Gerda?"_

 _Ahiru shrugged and flipped the record over, deciding to practice a song from a little later in the ballet. "I don't know," she said simply._

 _"What about the Snow Queen?" Mytho asked, figuring Ahiru might have wanted a more mature role._

 _"I don't know," Ahiru replied again._

He wondered if she had picked a part yet, and walked up the hill to ask her.

"Hi Ahiru," he said, sitting down on the grass beside her.

Ahiru slowly looked up at the boy, closing her book. "Hello."

"Have you picked a role for the Snow Queen?" he asked with a gentle, friendly smile.

"Gerda," she replied.

"Ah, I see," Mytho nodded, and silence settled around them like a thick fog.

It wasn't long before a female voice was heard above them.

"Hello, Ahiru."

"Oh, hello again Rue- hon-" Mytho slapped a hand over his mouth before a 'honk' could leave his mouth. He had stretched to see the girl but instead found an anteater in a girls' uniform standing before them.

The anteater sat down beside Ahiru. "Might I ask your thoughts on Mister Fakir?"

"I don't know." Ahiru shrugged, looking into the eyes of the anteater as if nothing was amiss.

"Would you say that you love him?" The anteater asked, her head tilting a little.

"Not really," Ahiru replied. Her blue eyes were still so dull, and Mytho's surprise subsided for a moment as he felt a small ache in his heart.

"Then, would you be against dating me instead?" The anteater asked.

"Not really," Ahiru said again.

The anteater smiled, and grabbed Ahiru's hand. Mytho stood.

"Please excuse me," he said.

"Okay," Ahiru was still looking at the anteater, not paying attention to the fact that Mytho was walking away.

When Mytho rounded a corner, he nearly ran into who he knew to be Fakir.

Fakir had dark black hair that had a green tint in the light, deeply tanned skin, and dark green eyes. Eyes which were now glaring at the white-haired boy before him.

"Uh!" Mytho exclaimed to get Fakir attention.

One of his dark eyebrows lifted. "Yes?"

"Well- Uh, have you tried out for any parts in the ballet?" Mytho asked hurriedly, his eyes glancing back to see that the anteater and Ahiru were still sitting beside each other.

"Yes, I'll be playing Kai," Fakir's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Just curious, you know how it is!" Mytho let out a small, nervous chuckle.

Fakir stared at him silently for a moment. "...Right. Well, I'll be going now." Fakir attempted to step around Mytho, and Mytho quickly jumped to the side with his hands up.

"No!"

"No?"

Mytho felt a drop of sweat at his temple. He didn't want Fakir to see Ahiru with the anteater, because he was sure it would break his heart. "I was just- uh, really hoping to get a lead role. You know, because you and Ahiru always get them!"

"Uh huh… Well, try harder next time." Fakir said before successfully making it around the weird-acting boy.

Mytho turned, and watched Fakir notice the scene behind them. The two girls had moved from sitting on the hill, to the anteater now carrying Ahiru in her arms. Ahiru seemed unaware as to what was happening, as she had just gone back to reading her book.

"How does it feel, Fakir? I've now your precious Ahiru as a partner. I believe it is clear who the winner is now." The anteater girl said spitefully. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking my leave." She turned and walked away with the princess still nestled in her arms.

Mytho turned to Fakir. "I'm sure it's not true, I mean-"

"It does not bother me," Fakir said gruffly. "And it does not concern you, either."

Fakir walked away, and Mytho watched him go.

…

"What you did was quite thoughtless," Rue said to her friend, who was leaning over the railing and staring off at the campus of their school.

"I'm sorry," Ahiru replied automatically.

Rue walked over, dusting some dirt off of Ahiru's uniform skirt. "You do these things without any care because you have no feelings. Now, you've broken up with Fakir without another thought." She busied herself with fixing bits of Ahiru's uniform that were out of place. Straightening out her bow, flipping the collar of her dress shirt back down and smoothing it out.

"I'm sorry," Ahiru said again.

"It's quite alright," her red eyes flashed with something… unsettling. "It is how it should be."

…

" _...And_ from now on once a month we shall be having a test of skills, to see which class each of you belongs in. If you have no improvement, you shall be dropped to the probationary class," Mister Cat paced in front of his students with his paws behind his back.

"Mister Cat," the anteater girl spoke up.

"Y-Yes, Miss Anteaterina?" The fur on the back of their instructor's neck rose.

"Is it correct that the special class stops at five students?" Mister Cat nodded, and Anteaterina continued. "Then I suppose someone will have to be rid of to make room for me. I shall dance a pas de deux with my partner to prove that I am worthy of this position."

She roughly grabbed the hand of the blank-faced Ahiru out of the group of students.

Mister Cat let the music begin as Anteaterina and Ahiru took position. They danced side to side, slowly, and in time with the music. _Technically perfect, but…_ Mytho sat, watching them. _There's no joy for Anteaterina… Her face just looks bitter. And Ahiru is her usual self, no expression…_

When it was over, the class cheered for them. It was a good performance, after all.

"I'd like to see you try to dance better than that, Fakir," Anteaterina said, her arm possessively around Ahiru's shoulders. "Whether or not you have an actual partner, that is."

Fakir stood. "Alright then." His sharp gaze turned to Mytho, and Mytho jumped in surprise. "You. Up." Mytho nodded quickly, and admittedly somewhat fearfully, and stood. "Follow my directions and don't mess up."

Again, the music started and the two boys began their pas de deux. It was clear in that moment why Fakir always got lead roles over Mytho, as his dancing was amazing. While Mytho wasn't bad by any stretch of the word, he still felt like he was struggling to catch up.

After their last pirouette, they stopped and looked out at the silent class. Rue was the first to clap, Ahiru following suit as the rest of the class erupted in claps and cheers for their performance. Mytho couldn't help but smile, finding himself at the center of attention for once. He was used to being in the back of the class, and now…

His gaze shifted to the back of the class, where Anteaterina was standing in the shadows, a single tear falling from her eyes.

…

A resounding slap echoed in the small clearing.

"That was humiliating!" Anteaterina yelled. "Do you have any idea what I, your girlfriend, just went through?!"

"I'm sorry," Ahiru replied automatically, as she usually did.

"Did you dance worse on purpose?!"

"I'm sorry," she said again, and the anteater sighed and turned.

"If you weren't Fakir's girlfriend, I wouldn't have picked you to date in the first place. Why can't I just win once?!" Anteaterina huffed, tears coming to her eyes as she stormed off, passing a curious Mytho on the way away from Ahiru.

"Wait!" Mytho reached out to grasp her sleeve. His pendant glowed in response to the contact.

"Leave me alone!" She shouted, putting more speed into her walk.

When Mytho found her again, she was angrily digging a hole, yelling "It's not fair!" over and over. Beside her was the glowing image of Ahiru, tinted in red and dressed in a dress befitting a princess. She seemed to have been consoling poor Anteaterina, but her face did not look caring but more devious.

At the sight of the glowing red version of Ahiru, Mytho remembered what Edel had said about her.

 _Princess… This must be a heartshard…_

Mytho's pendant glowed brighter, and soon transformed him back into Prince Tutu. Feeling the weight of the mask upon his face again, he felt ready to approach the upset girl.

"Have you come to laugh at me?" She asked, sniffling.

"Of course not. I am here to help, as you have something that does not belong to you," Prince Tutu said calmly.

The image of Princess Ahiru placed its hands on Anteaterina's shoulders. "Do not listen to him, he wishes to take me away from you. Just stay and feel all of that bitterness in your heart."

Prince Tutu's eyes widened. "Anteaterina, why do you feel such hatred for Fakir?"

"Because…" the anteater paused, and the Princess flashed, changing Anteaterina's uniform back into her ballet leotard. "I must be better than him!"

The scenery around them changed to that of a desolate desert, broken up by jagged rocks. Anteaterina began doing fouettes, spinning faster and faster with each kick of her leg and causing the dust to cloud.

"Why do you dance without joy or feeling?" Prince Tutu asked, "You should dance the way you want to dance, not how someone else dances!"

"This is how I dance, and I will soon be victorious!" Anteaterina cried out.

"Anteaterina, won't you dance with me?" He offered his hand to the upset girl, "That image is not your partner, you don't have to dance for their feelings."

Anteaterina paused, and slowly the sand around them changed into clear water. She finally took Prince Tutu's outstretched hand, accepting the dance. And when it was over, she gave the boy a genuine smile. No hidden malice or bitterness behind it.

"Thank you, I feel much better now." The girl said, before walking off. Leaving the boy with the image from the heart shard.

"And who might you be?" Prince Tutu asked with a small smile.

"I am the feeling of bitter defeat. Are you going to return me to the princess now?" It asked, tilting its head.

"Yes," He nodded, and the image smiled with relief.

"Thank you… I'm so glad," it said, before slowly fading into a small speck of light, which traveled up to Prince Tutu's cupped hands. Looking down at it, it was a shard of a red gem.

He turned, and saw Ahiru standing a few feet away. He stretched his hand out, and let the shard travel back to its rightful place. Ahiru's face scrunched up, cupping her hands over the space the shard had disappeared into. Something was stirring in her chest, and she started to faint.

The Prince quickly caught her on her way down, crouching and cradling her body in his arms. With her eyes closed, he could more closely see how long her eyelashes were, and how peaceful her face was.

He heard a twig snap in a distance, and he gently set her down on the soft grass before sprinting away.

Rue rushed up to Ahiru's faint body, and lifted her. "Ahiru?"

The girl's eyes fluttered open, her blue eyes hiding something in them. Her hands lifted slowly to cover her heart. "Rue… What is this feeling?"

Rue's red eyes widened. "F...Feeling?"

* * *

 **AN:** Wow uh, I did not mean to take a year to get back to this story D: I'm so sorry for the super long wait! Unfortunately, with school coming up, it will probably be an even longer wait oTL my apologies


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